Doctors Call Out 90 More Unnecessary Medical Tests, Procedures

Bruce Japsen
, ContributorI write about healthcare business and policyOpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Doctors, often criticized for ordering up unneeded tests and procedures that harm quality and add to the nation’s tab for medical care, are calling into question scores of tests and medical procedures, “highlighting potentially unnecessary – sometimes harmful – care provided in the U.S.,” a group working with 25 medical societies said.

Another 90 tests and procedures from 17 medical specialty societies have been released as part of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, an effort put together by Consumer Reports and the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. Since the campaign was launched last year, more than 130 tests and procedures have been called into question by 25 medical specialty societies with more than 725,000 member doctors.

The new list includes advice on a range of tests and procedures such as how to treat pregnant women and when to give pap smears to avoiding expensive “echocardiographic images” to assess heart attack risks in otherwise low risk patients.

“Millions of Americans are increasingly realizing that when it comes to health care, more is not necessarily better," said Dr. Christine Cassel, president of the ABIM Foundation. “Through these lists of tests and procedures, we hope to encourage conversations between physicians and patients about what care they truly need.”

The new lists include recommendations that advise medical-care providers:

The list was compiled by groups such as the American Academy of Family Physicians; the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology; the American Urological Association; and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Though it’s unclear whether health insurance companies will use the lists to rein in costs or even deny medical care coverage, health plans like UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Aetna (AET), Humana (HUM), Cigna (CI) and Blue Cross plans are increasingly working with medical societies on quality and outcomes guidelines that lead to fewer unnecessary tests and procedures.

“Choosing Wisely sends a clear message from the medical community that patients are at the center of good health care, that physicians want their patients to ask questions about recommended treatments, and that good, evidence-based care will be the result if all of the stakeholders are focused on that goal,” said Susan Pisano, spokeswoman for the America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobby for the health insurance industry. “Health plans have been longstanding proponents of evidence-based, patient centered care, and will continue to work with providers and health plan members to further those principles.”

Meanwhile, the ABIM effort is gaining momentum and more financial support from key players. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced it has awarded $2.5 million to “fund medical specialty societies and regional health improvement collaboratives to work in specific communities to raise awareness of potential overuse of medical care.”

“Reducing the overuse of health care resources is a critical part of improving quality of health care in America,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s president and chief executive officer. “We want to see what can happen when this work is targeted in specific geographic regions and are pleased to help increase the tangible impact of the Choosing Wisely campaign.”